Court fines Sheila Dikshit Rs.3,000

The Delhi High Court Friday fined Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dixit Rs.3,000, for failing to file a reply in her defamation case against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijendra Gupta.

Justice Kailash Gambhir imposed the fine even as Dikshit’s counsel sought adjournment of the case, saying he needed more time to file the reply to Gupta’s contention questioning the high court’s jurisdiction to hear her defamation suit.

The court listed the case for March 15.

Advocate Ajay Digpaul, appearing for Gupta, opposed Dikshit’s plea and stated that for the last four hearings, Dikshit had only sought adjournments without filing the reply to Gupta’s plea challenging her defamation suit against him on the ground that it was not maintainable in the high court.

The petition filed by chief minister submitted that the BJP leader “tried to defame her in public by putting up hoardings across the city accusing her government of corruption in fixing of new power tariff in connivance with the private power distribution companies, or discoms”.

Dikshit has demanded a token Re.1 as damage caused to her reputation by Gupta.

The petition said that BJP under Gupta’s leadership set up hoardings in June 2010, accusing her government of having “openly looted thousands of crores of rupees”.

Charging Gupta with misrepresenting facts on power tariff, the advertisements claimed that the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) was going to recommend reduction in power tariff, but the chief minister “came in the way”.

Dikshit filed the suit after Gupta refused to tender a “public apology for the slander”, as demanded by her.